How a clinical trial could change the face of Parkinson's Disease

Parkinson's Disease is a neurological disease that involves the malfunction and death of nerve cells in the brain. Some of these nerve cells control movement and coordination, which is why the main indicators for Parkinson's Disease are tremors, slowness, stiffness, and impaired balance and coordination.

Nearly 7 million people suffer from Parkinson's disease. This is a chronic and degenerative disease; we don't know how or why people get it, and we didn't have much hope for a cure.

Until now, we haven't had any breakthroughs in a cure for Parkinson's, the only thing we could do is alleviate some of the symptoms. Now though, the International Stem Cell Corporation has been given permission to start a clinical human trial on those with Parkinson's, a trial that if successful, could mean the difference for millions of people.

A Cure for Millions
The use of stem cells to treat diseases has gained enormous traction over the past decade. These cells, taken from umbilical cords, embryos, and bone marrow are special because they can be manipulated into other cells: a heart cell, blood cell, or brain cell. They can replace diseased tissue with healthy tissue, and that's essentially what these scientists are trying to do in this clinical trial; replace the nerve cells that die off when someone gets Parkinson's disease. This could be an incredible advancement in the fight against Parkinson's disease.